Thursday, March 1, 2012

More Reasons to Avoid Statins

The FDA added two new warnings to statin drugs this week. These warnings include an increased risk of diabetes and mental confusion among statin users. The FDA report said that all statin labeling must carry warnings about increased risk of elevated blood sugar and transient memory loss and cognitive problems.

Since their inception, there have been reports of mental confusion and cognitive problems with statin drugs. This should be no surprise to anyone who studies how statins work in the body. In fact, I have written extensively about the side effects of statins in my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do. Statins are a class of medications that poison the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. This enzyme is important for facilitating cholesterol as well as CoQ10 production.

The majority of the brain is made up of cholesterol. It does not take a rocket scientist or a doctor to predict that cholesterol-lowering medications will cause brain dysfunction. Due to their mechanism of action, statins are bound to cause a decline in brain function. I have seen many patients who take statin drugs and consequently suffer with memory loss, forgetfulness, anxiety, and other brain problems. I counsel these patients to stop taking statin drugs and begin natural therapies to help the brain recover.

Millions of Americans are suffering from diabetes. If statins increase the risk of diabetes, perhaps they should be not be given to overweight patients or any other patients at risk for diabetes.

Statins cause a myriad of side effects because they poison a crucial enzyme in the body. Remember, you can’t poison a crucial enzyme for the long-term and expect a good result.

The FDA warnings were long overdue. I suggest educating yourself about how statins operate in the body. If it makes sense to you to poison a crucial enzyme, then consider using it. A better course is to search for safe and effective natural therapies that help to support the body. More information about these therapies can be found in my books and newsletters.